Because Of

Everything grows greener and brighter

The Double Lilies

Brilliant shades of Nasturtiums

Bountiful Burgundy Stella D'Ore

Mossy stumps and Snow on the Mt.

plump Cylindra Beets

Burgundy (sorry the color is off a bit) Stella D'Ore

even the tiny bee

Double Day Lily ( I wonder if Betsy has this beauty? and her name? )

The Morning Glories might even have a chance

as the Phlox and Blue Harebells do.

Even from a distance, things are perking up.

The bees are fighting over nectar and pollen within

the Pumpkin Blossoms.

Not thinking we would see pumpkins again this year,

maybe in Oct. there will be large orange orbs in the north garden.

Zuchinni has been providing many side dishes and breads

all because of~~~

THIS!!!! We have been getting our share of

Just the Right Garden Rains!

Praise the Lord!

and

BlessYourHeart

BDayBen and GrannyFinds

Happy Birthday Ben!

Ben is my Grandlove and turns 4 today~

He's Grumpy Ben today because he had to get up at 5:45 this morning to get ready to go back to his Mommy's.

Oh Happy Dance Day to you lil man!

We will have another party on Sat. when his cousins will be here.

Just 2 years ago, he still fit in my 6 gallon Red Wing Crock.

Yesterday, he got his little butt stuck in it, feet and face upward!

It's no longer his favorite hiding place. How quickly these little ones grow, learn and know everything, of course.

As for that trip to Michigan this past weekend, I promised to show you a few of my fun finds from the tag sales.

On our way there, however, we passed miles and miles of these tall, erect plants that seemed to have a purpleish stem and some kind of seed heads. The roadsides were loaded with them as if they had been planted there for passer-by enjoyment. I finally couldn't stand it anymore, and asked Darcie to pull over for pictures. Well, I couldn't believe what I was seeing.....thistle, JUST thistles. Miles and miles of thistle going to seed. Mercy, me.

Cher wanted me to give her this cute little stool. I said I'd trade her for Her find of the day. It was a 6 gal. crock like the one Ben is hiding in, only full of cracks. There was a half-price sign off $60 as it sat outside of a shop. Her hubby drove around the block, just to see...she dickers the $30. tag down to $15...well, goodness gracious., it had cracks, lots of them, and she wanted to use it for saurkraut. Now she could only use it for a planter...WHAT a deal she got~~the stool is still mine.

I fell in love with these cute little bunnies. I'm already using them to root German Ivy for my garden.

There's always room for Bling Things.

My favorite? All of them!

Gold braided tiebacks for my living room window~all highly embellished with beading and tassles

Rod Iron and Wood makes a cute little trinket shelf

A Pocket Shelf complete with it's key is cute as ever hanging among my Grandlove Wall...soon

(apology~the color was off on my candid shot~~this heart is actually ivory like the bench above)

On the way down the road, there is this awesome site! A tree, growing out of the rock known as the Split Rock, along Hwy.2,

along our way to Alpha, MI, a very patriotic little town on the border of

Michigan and Wisconsin. It's where the

Porter School Farmers Market and Shops are.

I love to see these old schools and outer buildings re-used instead of demolished. Today, the old Gustafson IGA Grocery store is being torn down to make a parking lot for the papermill...progress stinks sometimes. I wish I had the capital to save every one of them. I cried when our Fifield School was torn down. What a shameful thing, and now the Lincoln Jr. High which used to be the High School in town has been turned into an apartment building. At least it's getting re-used. No more graduations like mine will be held there. Progress!

Back at the old Porter School still stands the old gymnasium and scoreboard. You can almost hear the echos of cheers and song going on across the wooden floor and behind the stadium curtains.

Go Alpha Eagles!

The daily functioning library still has a map of the Shipwrecks of the Great Lakes hanging on the wall.

Books line the shelves and even FREE Reading to take home.

The rest of the classrooms are now filled with little gift shops and the kitchen is still active with meals served in the cafeteria.

Old Glory hangs on a hallway storage door with 50 stars. This proud little town has flags on every lamp post, flags painted on it's buildings and reminding us all of how blessed we are to have our freedom.

Without God and our troops, we would not be so fortunate.

A banner of another kind hangs on my sisters door. Someday, I hope to find one just like it. hkuum.......I already have a 48 star flag,

and I wouldn't mind a fountain like this to display my flowers each year. Hmmm, I do know how to work with concrete...hmmmm

I hope you enjoyed this little morning jaunt.

Have a wonderful day. Sy and I will be going to the Farmers Market in town and then to Grandma O's to pick berries.

Stay safe and cool and

BlessYourHeart

Trippin'

Late, I know, but tired is as tired was, after a weekend road trip.

My dear daughter went way out of her way to pick me up and take me with her to Michigan where she had a horse show to photograph.

We took the scenic route past rivers,

a sand bar party,

a huge mouse chasing a rabbit across the mountains in the sky,

until we finally were driving down the hill of Crystal Falls, MI, to visit her Godmom and my little sister Cheryl Ann.

Since Cher lives not far from Darcie's destination, she was sweet enough to drop me at Cher's for a short but very busy visit.

It's always restful at Cher and Thom's as they greeted us with open arms and a meal fit for royalty. The next day they toted me all over the place to a Farmer's Market, garage and thrift sales, out to lunch, and to see the sites. I will show you more of that next entry.

Onto a stroll through her peaceful garden.

She has vision, as she displays bits of light wherever you go and

Food!

Her Red Rhubarb looks like pie coming straight out of the ground.

Their raised beds are doing great in spite of the dry spell they have been having.

( A note here: it stormed hard enough Sat. night to blow the roof off of the Iron Mt. Airport, and they have been predicted to get the same rains we are getting as I type. Hope to air this before my power fails... )

Now, check out these veggie beds!

You cannot tell me, these two are going to go hungry this winter. The carrots, lettuce, onions, beets, tomatoes and beans looked great! They water daily with rainwater that they collect in barrels off the end of the rain gutters.

Smart!

Here's a lil' peek at one of the Thrift shops we stopped at. I did not leave empty-handed. Nor did Cher!

Cher and Thom were kind enough to drive me to Norway, MI, where Darcie was photographer for the Great Lakes Arabian Horse Show. We were properly welcomed by the city.

Look at this cool barn at the Fair Grounds...

Darcie, the photograper, Peggy, the judge from Idaho, and Christie, the assistant for the day, were waiting and watching as the horses came center ring for judging and more photos.

Braids seem to be a real big thing at these events, from horse braids, of which I'm loving. I used to do this same braid on my bay, Penny and my paint, Poncho, many moons ago....to

Darcie's French Braid. I watched her as she did this within seconds without any help. How on earth did she do that? She makes me want long hair again. Her braid goes to her waist, and to think she just had it cut so she wasn't sitting on it~~~

The heat and humidity was unbearable. Fortunately, the girls had a covered arena to work in. My heart went out to the horses and riders as they waited their turn to show.

Of all the horses, all of which were gorgeous in their own way, this fella was my favorite. At first glance, I thought he was oiled, but truth was that he was perspiring with all the heat and excitement. This was his first show, and did he ever perform.

Halter class of these youngsters, is something to see.

My amateur candids of the horses is nothing. Go to Darcies site at highlandphotography.net to see the pro shots. I'm so proud of the business she has created for herself. She's got to be dedicated to stand in that heat every summer weekend. Most of the shows are outside, without cover, nor even a gazebo for them to cool off in. I give those girls my applause.

This young lady with her horse is my favorite shot of my day. I took it while sitting under a big oak tree, to cool off, myself. She brought back memories for me, of Darcie doing the same with her horses during shows and myself, at 4-H events. Sweet!

One more shot of a few girls waiting for judgement results...

and a beautiful sillouette with gorgeous Norway, Michigan scenery behind~~~

and the Octogon Norway Fairgrounds Barn, where all the action was. What a beautiful structure.

I needed a get-away. My long-time friend, Nina, came and visited for a while. She moved away to just a few miles from Norway, years ago and we have always kept in touch one way or another. It was so great to catch up in person again. Time spent with my daughter and sister were priceless and just taking in the endless beauty of the country we live in, was a great way to spend my weekend. I hope yours was as wonderful.

Thank you for coming along. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.

Have an equally fine week.

Stay safe and

BlessYourHeart